


Dying is Easy, Living is Harder

by Wells_Whales_DinosaurTales



Series: "Bigg"er than Life [1]
Category: She Kills Monsters
Genre: Chuck does not have a good time, I NEEDED IT, Panic Attack, another She Kills Monsters fanfic, corpse mention, description of car accident, really sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 08:19:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10532544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wells_Whales_DinosaurTales/pseuds/Wells_Whales_DinosaurTales
Summary: Chuck essentially has the worst week of his entire life.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I AM SORRY.
> 
> But, I really needed to flesh out his character and everything just ended up sad. Maybe I'll write a happy one someday. Hopefully.

It was just another Monday. It was supposed to be just another Monday. Tilly had promised Chuck that she would see him in class today. He had convinced her to wait a little bit longer. However, when she was not there in their advanced drawing seminar, he could not help but feel uneasy. She had texted him saying that she had a doctor’s appointment scheduled and that she should be around for the afternoon classes. Chuck decided to trust her, but his gut was telling him otherwise.

He caught her the other day. She was developing a module and he was well aware of that. In fact, she had asked him for help so that she did not design it incorrectly. It was when she left it alone and went to grab them some soda that he flipped through the pages and found it. That letter that she had been composing for a solid three days. He was tempted to open it, but it was meant for Lilly. Lilly who Tilly had been crushing on since Freshman orientation. Lilly who defended her from Gabbi and Tina when Chuck was not around. Lilly who stole Tilly’s heart and first kiss.

Chuck was not jealous. Tilly was his best friend and he wanted her to be happy. It was just that he did not understand how she could do it. Not only was writing a love letter clichéd, but it was also a heck of a brave move. Chuck was not so brave. He had a hard time figuring out his feelings and did not want to ruin his friendships. He was afraid. Tilly seemed afraid too, but she was also fearless. Chuck was honestly convinced that she was more afraid of Lilly getting hurt than she was concerned for her own safety.

He closed the module and waited for Tilly to come back down into the basement. It was raining that day, otherwise they probably would have been hanging out by the haunted tunnel. Tilly liked the tunnel because it gave her a chance to feel adventurous. Chuck offered to bring her on a tour through the Ohio University campus, but she adamantly refused. Her sister Agnes went there and she was apparently having a fight with her. Chuck was not sure why the two sisters were fighting, but figured it had something to do with Agnes never being around.

Tilly never liked talking about her sister, so Chuck never really brought it up. He avoided topics that he knew were a sore spot for her. It was one of the ways he showed he cared. When Tilly had finally returned with their drinks, Chuck smiled at her and she gave him a smirk in return. The rest of the evening they rambled about anything and everything. It was around one in the morning when Tilly’s mom came down and told the two teens to get some sleep. They shut off the lights, Tilly climbing into her bed and Chuck onto the futon that was prepared for him, and talked until they both passed out from exhaustion.

The morning after, Chuck had made Tilly promise to hang in there. When they parted way later that afternoon, Tilly promised that she would see him in class Monday morning.

She wasn’t there.

~

The final bell rang and Chuck burst out of Ms. Gates class faster than Donovan Bailey. At least, that is how he felt at the time. He bolted to his locker, threw what he did not need into it and what he did need into his backpack, and sprinted at top speed out the front doors. He raced down the sidewalk. He easily passed Ronnie and Kelly’s house. His was next and then Tilly’s. He was two steps passed the concrete path that led up to his house when large arms wrapped around his shoulders, stopping him.

“Not today little Charlie. Trust me, you don’t want to go any further.”

His uncle had not called him that in years. He had stopped calling him “little Charlie” after his dad left. Chuck stiffened in his uncle’s grip. None of this boded well.

“Come inside, okay? We have some things to talk about.”

Chuck’s frantic expression faded into one of resolution. Tilly was probably just sick. He was just being paranoid. His suspicions did not leave.

His uncle guided him into the house and seated him on the old couch in the living room before heading into the kitchen. Chuck could hear his mom and uncle speaking in hushed voices. He waited impatiently for them to walk in and include him in the discussion. This was just like them to treat him like a child. He had half a mind to get up and continue heading to Tilly’s when the two walked into the living room. Except there was someone else with them. A man.

“Who’s he?”

Chuck left no room for any roundabout explanations. He wanted an honest answer and he wanted it as quickly as possible. His uncle read the atmosphere clearly, but his mom was not entirely there.

“Don’t play dumb, Charlie. It’s your father.”

“I don’t have a father and my name is not Charlie. It’s Chuck.”

He and his mother stared each other down. They were both incredibly stubborn and neither were willing to give in.

“Would you two knock it off? You both look ridiculous.”

Chuck turned his gaze to the window, hoping to escape. What he saw out the window was several police cars and an ambulance speeding in the direction of Tilly’s house. Immediately his heart rate jumped. His breathing grew shallow. His body shook. Without a thought, he jumped to his feet and ran for the door.

“CHUCK!”

His uncle chased after him, but he was faster. He raced down the sidewalk, breezing passed concerned onlookers until he arrived at the scene. There were two cars. One looked as though it had smashed into the other. The driver of that vehicle seemed to be okay. It was the other one that Chuck could not turn away from. The silver sedan was crushed on one side and the other side had collided with a tree. He watched as the police pulled three bodies from the wreckage. He recognized all three of them.

The world stopped. There he was, standing on the sidewalk as healthy as could be, and there was his best friend, covered in blood across the street. Chuck collapsed onto his knees, eyes never leaving Tilly’s figure. He could feel his uncle putting his hands on his shoulders, but that did not distract him from the horror he felt. He vomited onto the sidewalk, causing the paramedics to approach him. He could not hear what they were saying to him.

Everything was wrong. She had promised she would see him class today. She promised.

He could feel hot tears on his cheeks. He could feel his uncle’s hands and the concerned looks of the EMTs. He could feel the slight breeze that was passing through the trees. He felt everything around him, but he could only see Tilly’s limp form in the distance.

~

Chuck did not go to school the next day. In fact, he stayed home for the entire week. He could not process what was going on around him. His dad tried to talk with him, bond with him after being gone for so long. His mom would make his favorite meals. His uncle would try to drag him out of the house and take him anywhere that was not his bedroom. Chuck just could not cope. Ronnie and Kelly called to let him know when the funeral took place. He was not sure if he could handle attending, not to mention his mom would probably not let him. Yet, that did not stop Ronnie from picking him up in the middle of the night that Friday so that he could go with them and the rest of class of ’95 to the funeral.

Chuck and Ronnie walked in silence until they got to Ronnie and Kelly’s house. Their mom snapped at Ronnie for being out so late at night, but then withdrew when she noticed that Chuck was with him. She hugged him tightly and he did everything in his power not to break down right there.

Ronnie climbed into his bed, Chuck into the sleeping bag that was given to him, and they waited until morning. Ronnie fell asleep quickly, but Chuck remained awake all night. The sun rose and everyone got dressed in black. Chuck hated formal clothing, but he did not put up a fight when Kelly insisted that he had to for Tilly. The trio piled into Ronnie and Kelly’s mom’s car and rode all the way to the church in solemn serenity.

The funeral was long. Chuck barely paid attention to anyone, his eyes never leaving Tilly’s casket. Kelly nudged him through the motions and when they began calling people up to speak on behalf of the Evans family she tried to persuade him to say something. He could not find the words though. His blank stare remained on the box that entombed his best friend.

Kelly and Chuck stayed behind while everyone else headed to the cemetery for the official burial. Chuck had almost gone with Ronnie and his friends’ mom, but Kelly had stopped him and the two sat on the steps of the church together.

“You holding up?”

Chuck barely made an audible response. He half nodded, not making eye contact. Kelly sighed and put her hands on his cheeks, turning his face toward her own. There were tears in his eyes and an overwhelming look of sadness that lingered deep in his blue irises.

“Don’t be brave. It’s okay.”

The tears slid down his face and Kelly pulled him into a hug.

“I miss her too, Chuck. I miss her too.”


End file.
